Articles by: Nick DeRiso

Vinyl

Something Else! Reviews on the 2011 Blues Music Awards winners

The 32nd annual Blues Museum Awards ceremony was held Thursday night at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. Produced by the Memphis-based Blues Foundation, the event belonged to Buddy Guy. You May Also Like: Denise LaSalle, Soul-Blues Belter (1939-2018): An Appreciation How Levon Helm Turned ‘Dirt Farmer’ Into a Rootsy, ThrillingRead More

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Half Notes: Mia Borders, "Try Me On" (2010)

Dominated by a dreamy wah-wah from guitarist Kyle Sclafani, Mia Borders’ “Try Me On” initially brings to mind all of the big-hat-wearing, too-tall-bootsy joys of 1970s funk. When her lyric, which starts out sexy and tough, gives way to Adam Matasar’s throwback turn on the Fender Rhodes, the lava-lamp lightningRead More

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Benny Green – Source (2011)

Pianist Benny Green’s aptly titled new release Source can come off as a familiar conversation, since it’s filled with a number of jazz music’s notable voices — most of them, no surprise, key influences on his work. You May Also Like: Chicago + Al Green, “Tired of Being Alone” (1973):Read More

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Half Notes: Youn Sun Nah, "Same Girl" (2011)

You’d think the use of a music box on the title track from an interesting release by Korean jazz singer Youn Sun Nah — “Same Girl” was originally found on Randy Newman’s 1973 recording “Trouble in Paradise” — would imbue it all with this childlike wonder. (Elsewhere, Youn Sun NahRead More

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Gimme Five: John Oates on Hall and Oates’ “She’s Gone,” “You Make My Dreams” + others

John Oates takes us inside the love-gone-wrong beginnings of Hall and Oates “She’s Gone,” and talks about how the birth of Oates’ son sparked a standout solo track. He also laments that doo wop never gets its due, and how he remade a signature Hall and Oates hit into aRead More

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John Oates, of Hall and Oates: Something Else! Interview

John Oates has always been more than the Other Guy in Hall and Oates. In fact, the mustachioed one co-wrote half of H&O’s six Billboard No. 1 songs, including “Out of Touch,” “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” and “Maneater. You May Also Like: John Oates has neverRead More

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Something Else! sneak peek: P.J. Pacifico, "Waiting" (2011)

With a piano signature that mimics rain water trickling from a downspout, and an easy-going, almost confidential delivery that sounds like a softer Toad the Wet Sprocket (or a tougher Gin Blossoms?) You May Also Like: Joe Bailey, “Waiting” from ‘Ghosts’ (2021): One Track Mind Michael Salvatori – ‘Waiting ForRead More

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Stevie Nicks – In Your Dreams (2011)

Stevie Nicks is, I’ve always thought, one of those ingredients that only tastes completely right in concert with other things. Those things being the rest of Fleetwood Mac in general — and, more specifically, Lindsey Buckingham. You May Also Like: Stevie Nicks untangles the history of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Silver Springs’:Read More

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Something Else! sneak peek: Neal Morse, "Crossing Over" (2011)

Former Spock’s Beard frontman Neal Morse confronts the triumphs and pain of his tenure and ultimate departure in 2002 from the band on Testimony 2. The forthcoming album, to be issued on May 24 by Radiant/Metal Blade, isn’t simply an epic sequel You May Also Like: Neal Morse Did ItRead More

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Something Else! sneak peek: The Headhunters, "Tracie" (2011)

The Headhunters have completed an ambitious new jazz release — one that continues to push the edges of fusion, incorporating hip hop and funk You May Also Like: How Bennie Maupin Left Mwandishi Behind on ‘The Jewel in the Lotus’ Rob Dixon Trio, with Charlie Hunter and Mike Clark –Read More